Tennis maverick Nick Kyrgios has opened up on a traumatic time in his life which saw him spiral into turmoil. The Australian turned to alcohol and drugs as he battled mental health problems in 2019.
The 27-year-old’s relationship with his family broke down during that difficult period and he also began to self-harm and previously shared he once had ' suicidal thoughts'. Since Naomi Osaka bravely revealed her battles with mental health during a challenging 2021 season, the topic has been under the microscope.
Athletes are encouraged to speak about their mental state and Kyrgios has disclosed his experience from three years ago. “It was very serious, to the point of self-harm and it's not okay,” he told nine. “I guess I pushed everyone that cared about me away and I wasn't communicating.
“I just shut down real life and I was trying to handle and tackle my problems head-on. I was abusing alcohol a lot, drugs and that spiralled out of control. Now I barely drink – I literally have a glass of wine at dinner.
“That was the initial kind of thing I had to clean up a little bit and then build my relationship back with my family and get into healthier habits like the basics; like diet, getting good sleep, trying to train a little bit more and that was it. I think COVID helped me a lot with that.” Despite his difficult season, the world number 75 still managed to win two titles, first in Acapulco before triumph in Washington.
This served as a distraction, as off the court, Kyrgios' mental health deteriorated and he explained why. "I felt I was letting people down all the time,” he said. “I felt worthless to be honest, I didn't feel comfortable, I hated my life at one stage.
“I was cutting, burning, just pretty f***ed up s***. It was so dark that I kind of liked it as well, like asking people to do it and stuff. What doesn't kill you makes you stranger (and stronger). I'm still a bit cooked.” While he is in much better place three years on, the Australian Open men's doubles champion stressed the importance of finding a balance and happiness within yourself.
“It's a very big problem with society,” he said. “Everyone thinks their two cents is relevant to someone else's life. You're not living their life so how do you know what they should be doing or how they're feeling on problems they're dealing with.
“If you find that peace within yourself, you don't have to please anyone else – the results are coming. People are always going to have opinions.” Kyrgios is currently taking a break from tennis but is expected to return in time for the grass-court season.
